Thursday, November 29, 2012
Yippie!
Okay, I'm all caught up. There's an entire month of stuff blogged today, so take your time and check it out. Let me know what you think. Making a google account or whatever is not that scary, so do it up and leave some feedback and comments and smiley faces! =)
Liam turns 7 (in other words, Happy Halloween)
Liam turned 7 on Halloween and requested his traditional funfetti cake and icing. Grandma Barb and Pap got to come up to visit and took the kids trick or treating again this year. It's becoming a nice ritual, and I don't have to go out in the cold. Oops, that was out loud. Anyway, on with the pictures! Hehe!
See? They have a good time with it!
Yep, a ninja girl surrounded by skeleton boys. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and now there is way too much candy in the house. Still.
November 2012 camp pictures
My Mommee calls this "The Hunger Games post." I know some of you are just like me in that you're homesick for Pennsylvania woods. Well, Merry Christmas. I can't give them to you in person, but here's the next best thing. These were all taken Veteran's Day between 7:30 and 8:00 AM. If you want to see any picture on this blog in a larger form, simply click on it and it'll get bigger. I'm going to shut up and let the quiet beauty of the woods do the talking. Enjoy!
Oh deer!
We did have some excitement in our neighborhood a few weeks ago when a deer decided to visit. I've talked before about how flat it is here and the number of fields everywhere, etc. I have no idea where she came from, but this pretty girl managed to feel right at home in the middle of suburbia. She visited lots of neighbors, was competely unfazed by large or small dogs, or the human neighbors themselves. Here she's making friends with Triskal:
If you look to the left side of the tree, also to the left of the fence post, you'll see the legs of the English mastiff puppy who lives next door. He wasn't at all sure what to think of the deer who is now reclining just on the other side of both fences. She curled up right beside the heating/ air conditioning unit and ignored his perplexed barking. Triskal never peeped.
Neighbors kept coming over with their cameras, and even Damon got his:
I just love the look on Triskal's face here. "Well, that was interesting. When's lunch?"
November mornings
We've had some absolutely gorgeous sunrises this month. I'm not usually a sunrise person, because that means I am up entirely too early for my natural preferences, but this time of year the sun comes up right as the big kids are getting ready for school. They're usually putzing their way through breakfast when I wrench open the sliding glass door curtains and voila, there's the sun. It gives them a little perspective of the big picture, and they like to talk about God using all his paints. ;)
Alas, no fog delays lately, but I love the dewdrops or fogdrops or whatever that are all over the tree. For me, life really is about the little things. They can be either the biggest blessings or the biggest annoyances, and a lot of it depends on your attitude at any given minute. I was teasing the big kids about the drama they bring to our lives and overdid my example: I have a hangnail. IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! Wouldn't you know it, that's what Damon picked up on? He flings his arms wide and yells (and I mean YELLS) something that sounds like, "I havahada. It's da eddada WOLD!" Followed by hysterical giggles. Where was I? Oh, fogdrops...
Random Thanksgiving family pictures 2012
I guess I did kind of hog him after all, but I was powerless against his powers of cuteness!
Liam's favorite cousin, Lizzie, turning on the charm.
Cousins on a couch
I've been blogging for 7 years now, so you would really think I'd remember to check out the pictures BEFORE I post so I know what I'm going to be talking about. That was not the case this time, so I apologize for the order of things.
Here are the traditional 2010 cousins on the couch pictures, also starring baby Noah, who was born in August 2012.
I can't help it. This one makes me laugh every time. Neva, on the left, Damon in the middle, and Zach on the right. Birth order is reversed. Zach was a March baby, Damon was June, Neva was July.
Noah just kept hamming it up on the big chair while the bigger cousins couldn't get their act together:
Guess who wasn't paying attention...
Dada informed me to NOT enter the kitchen, lest there be beatings:
Hello everyone. This post is brought to you today by the gentle proddings by my mother. Hehe, love you, Mommee!
It is going to take a few minutes to get the train wreck that is my brain these days to kick into gear. I'm betting the writing will get better as we go along, so I'll start with random stuff and see where we head.
Triskal decided to try something new and got fleas. It's safe to say that she is not a fan, nor is the rest of our family. After chewing holes in herself along her backside and tail, she went to the vet to get shaved so we could get a better handle on the fleas and the skin infection they helped cause. She's almost done with her antibiotics, is freezing her bum off when outside, and looks pretty forlorn. Sometimes lately I've wondered if she has Alzheimer's or if it just takes awhile to figure out how to sit down without aggravating her sore spots. Or possibly her hips are starting to ache; she is almost seven. Poor old thing. She's still as sweet as ever and it just about killed her to be either outside (pre-shave) or in the garage while we hosted Thanksgiving.
We hosted Thanksgiving! We had an almost-thre-month-old, three two-year-olds (yes, you read that right), a five-year-old, a seven-year-old, and a nine-year-old, a set of grandparents, and three sets of parents. And four pies. And cookies. And ham and sweet potato casserole and bread and salad and party potatoes (Kurth-ese for mashed potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese whipped in) and yeah, there was far too much food. Did you notice I started with dessert? We ARE Kurths, after all.
It was great having everyone here from Wedsnesday until Saturday. We played games and goofed off and really enjoyed watching the kids interact. I tried really hard to not hog the baby. That is very challenging for me!
The big kids have been busy with Scouts and Awana and school. We've been relatively germ-free, with one exception. Our resident seven-year-old did throw up on the bus on the way to school on Monday, and then was much better after a nap and was back to school for the rest of the week. Who knows what all that was about. I heard several people on Facebook mentioning similar symptoms. My Daddee would say the Tazmanian Punies are going around. Tis the season!
We have the Christmas tree up but not entirely decorated yet. A Christmas throw is over the big armchair, the construction paper cutouts from PaPa's teaching days are taped up in the windows, and our door decoration is a wooden Santa holding a sign which reads, "will work for milk and cookies". That cracks Carrie up every time she comes in the front door. The first time she saw it she was actually guffawing on her way in- that's the only word that works! Of COURSE a Kurth Santa would work for cookies!
The baking will begin in earnest this week and weekend, and I have a secret plan on how to divvy up the goodies so that our waistlines don't... um... bulge. I can't wait!
I really feel burdened to pass along some prayer requests, and this seems like a good place and time to list them:
It is very tempting for me to get caught up in The Busy, especially once I flip that calendar over and see that it's December and therefore time to freak out. I caught myself getting anxious about all the shopping and errands and trips I need to do, and then I headed over to my cousin Lizi's blog and read about how she physically can't get out and do all that. My sweet Lizi has Lyme Disease and it causes pretty much constant dizziness and nausea for her. Sometimes it's all she can do to make it from her bedroom to the kitchen. It breaks my heart that she is all the way across the country and I can't pop over to visit or take her lunch or hang out or fold her laundry. My cousin David also has Lyme Disease and one of his symptoms is chronic leg pain. He's only 18 and I can't imagine not feeling invulnerable as an 18-year-old male. Please keep my cousins close to your heart as you go about doing life, and remember that there are people who would love the opportunity to be physically able to run a million errands and shop to their hearts' content instead of being stuck on meds and/or housebound.
Please also pray for my small friend Asher. He was born in November with a hole in his diaphram, which means his intestines migrated up through the hole and displaced his heart and lungs. He's had surgery to repair the hole, but is having blood pressure issues as well as not eating as he should, which means he can't gain weight which means he can't be moved from the hospital, etc. He is quite the fighter and has been amazing doctors left and right with his recovery, but is going through a lot of ups and downs right now. His parents Dave and Colleen and big three-year-old brother Josiah would love to have him healed and home for Christmas!
My aunt Kay passed away this month after dealing with some serious health issues. She was incredibly shy and had a much bigger heart than she could share because of the shyness. Please pray for her husband, Mark, and for my mom and her remaining sisters and my Nana as they work through their grief and loss. Kay's gentle spirit will be missed, and I wish that I would not have taken her for granted. I suppose that's a good lesson to learn when going into the holidays, but I wish there was a better way to learn appreciation than through loss. Take the time today to tell your loved ones that you love them. Remember that God loved you enough to send you a very special Christmas present in Jesus.
I think that's it for now. Poor Damon has been watching TV for far too long while I cobbled this post together. I know there are pictures on the camera that need uploaded, so I'll get on that next. But first comes lunch and little Nomad's nap. Have a wonderful last few days of November (or Movember if you're growing your 'stache to bring awareness to men's health issues- good for you) and be blessed as you head into the holiday season. Take good care of you!
It is going to take a few minutes to get the train wreck that is my brain these days to kick into gear. I'm betting the writing will get better as we go along, so I'll start with random stuff and see where we head.
Triskal decided to try something new and got fleas. It's safe to say that she is not a fan, nor is the rest of our family. After chewing holes in herself along her backside and tail, she went to the vet to get shaved so we could get a better handle on the fleas and the skin infection they helped cause. She's almost done with her antibiotics, is freezing her bum off when outside, and looks pretty forlorn. Sometimes lately I've wondered if she has Alzheimer's or if it just takes awhile to figure out how to sit down without aggravating her sore spots. Or possibly her hips are starting to ache; she is almost seven. Poor old thing. She's still as sweet as ever and it just about killed her to be either outside (pre-shave) or in the garage while we hosted Thanksgiving.
We hosted Thanksgiving! We had an almost-thre-month-old, three two-year-olds (yes, you read that right), a five-year-old, a seven-year-old, and a nine-year-old, a set of grandparents, and three sets of parents. And four pies. And cookies. And ham and sweet potato casserole and bread and salad and party potatoes (Kurth-ese for mashed potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese whipped in) and yeah, there was far too much food. Did you notice I started with dessert? We ARE Kurths, after all.
It was great having everyone here from Wedsnesday until Saturday. We played games and goofed off and really enjoyed watching the kids interact. I tried really hard to not hog the baby. That is very challenging for me!
The big kids have been busy with Scouts and Awana and school. We've been relatively germ-free, with one exception. Our resident seven-year-old did throw up on the bus on the way to school on Monday, and then was much better after a nap and was back to school for the rest of the week. Who knows what all that was about. I heard several people on Facebook mentioning similar symptoms. My Daddee would say the Tazmanian Punies are going around. Tis the season!
We have the Christmas tree up but not entirely decorated yet. A Christmas throw is over the big armchair, the construction paper cutouts from PaPa's teaching days are taped up in the windows, and our door decoration is a wooden Santa holding a sign which reads, "will work for milk and cookies". That cracks Carrie up every time she comes in the front door. The first time she saw it she was actually guffawing on her way in- that's the only word that works! Of COURSE a Kurth Santa would work for cookies!
The baking will begin in earnest this week and weekend, and I have a secret plan on how to divvy up the goodies so that our waistlines don't... um... bulge. I can't wait!
I really feel burdened to pass along some prayer requests, and this seems like a good place and time to list them:
It is very tempting for me to get caught up in The Busy, especially once I flip that calendar over and see that it's December and therefore time to freak out. I caught myself getting anxious about all the shopping and errands and trips I need to do, and then I headed over to my cousin Lizi's blog and read about how she physically can't get out and do all that. My sweet Lizi has Lyme Disease and it causes pretty much constant dizziness and nausea for her. Sometimes it's all she can do to make it from her bedroom to the kitchen. It breaks my heart that she is all the way across the country and I can't pop over to visit or take her lunch or hang out or fold her laundry. My cousin David also has Lyme Disease and one of his symptoms is chronic leg pain. He's only 18 and I can't imagine not feeling invulnerable as an 18-year-old male. Please keep my cousins close to your heart as you go about doing life, and remember that there are people who would love the opportunity to be physically able to run a million errands and shop to their hearts' content instead of being stuck on meds and/or housebound.
Please also pray for my small friend Asher. He was born in November with a hole in his diaphram, which means his intestines migrated up through the hole and displaced his heart and lungs. He's had surgery to repair the hole, but is having blood pressure issues as well as not eating as he should, which means he can't gain weight which means he can't be moved from the hospital, etc. He is quite the fighter and has been amazing doctors left and right with his recovery, but is going through a lot of ups and downs right now. His parents Dave and Colleen and big three-year-old brother Josiah would love to have him healed and home for Christmas!
My aunt Kay passed away this month after dealing with some serious health issues. She was incredibly shy and had a much bigger heart than she could share because of the shyness. Please pray for her husband, Mark, and for my mom and her remaining sisters and my Nana as they work through their grief and loss. Kay's gentle spirit will be missed, and I wish that I would not have taken her for granted. I suppose that's a good lesson to learn when going into the holidays, but I wish there was a better way to learn appreciation than through loss. Take the time today to tell your loved ones that you love them. Remember that God loved you enough to send you a very special Christmas present in Jesus.
I think that's it for now. Poor Damon has been watching TV for far too long while I cobbled this post together. I know there are pictures on the camera that need uploaded, so I'll get on that next. But first comes lunch and little Nomad's nap. Have a wonderful last few days of November (or Movember if you're growing your 'stache to bring awareness to men's health issues- good for you) and be blessed as you head into the holiday season. Take good care of you!
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